Design & Construction
The Crematory, whose work and construction began in August 1887, was completed in May 1888.
The Missouri Crematory is Doric in design. A square building which measures approximately forty feet deep, thirty-six wide, and twenty-six high, it was designed by Otto Wilhelmi, a prominent citizen and Architect in St. Louis who also served as the secretary of the Missouri Crematory Association from its inception until his death in 1925.
In January 1889, the crematory took fire through some fault in the cremation apparatus. The building was almost totally destroyed by the fire but immediately work began on reconstruction of the facility, and a new, fireproof edifice was completed in a matter of months. Although the building that stands today is not the original, it is identical in size and style as its predecessor.
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